Mawaru Penguindrum – 06
Let’s Initiate Project M
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Hi everybody! I’ll be going it alone for this week’s episode of Penguindrum, but do plan on returning to tag action next week.
So I’ll just go ahead and use this space to express excitement about the new Black Rock Shooter anime announcement. Its noitaminA timeslot is a subject of controversy, but I’m quite hopeful for it to at least be better than the OAV. |
Ringo’s plan for “Destiny” today is to spend her first night over at Tabuki’s place as part of “Project M” and she employs Shouma to help her move (surely moving is not the meaning behind Project M) some stuff from her place over to Tabuki’s house where she covers it up for the day. Tabuki won’t notice that mountain of stuff covered up in his backyard at all…
Ringo seems excited for First Night
Kanba visits Asami and we see that she doesn’t remember him, clearly showing the effects of Masako’s slingshot pellet from last episode. After getting another unknown text, he goes to his other exes Yui and Chizuru thinking one of them sent it. Masako is perched atop a building watching over them, and before the girls have any chance to leak whatever info they know, she shoots them with a pellet. The red/black animation sequence adds a sense of gruesome to it as the girls’ memories are erased. As Kanba is looking all around to where the shot came from, she walks away saying that she must crush him soon.
The Slingshot XSZ-75000. Comes with enhanced sniper scope and laser sight.
Shouma takes a little nap in between moving, and while Ringo is being bitchy and trying to pull him up and back to work, she suddenly develops an almost sexual urge-like “fever” thinking about the first night wanting to feel his sleeper’s breath on her skin, pressing herself on Shouma and even trying to kiss him. Momma walks in and ruins their good fun, and Shouma thinks she’s developed a fever. Penguin #2 is enjoying some mayonnaise throughout the episode.
We see a scene of a young Ringo overhearing her mom and dad talk about her sister Momoka (Momo meaning “Peach”), who had passed away sometime ago. Converted to Ringo’s dolls Kappie & Ottie, the mom refuses to forget Momoka while dad says they still have Ringo. After a Moray Eel breaks up the fight, Ringo begins to wonder if, she were to become Momoka, that her family would be happy and they wouldn’t split up.
A flashback sequence shows Tabuki eating curry with Ringo and her mom, mentioning how Momoka meant so much to him and how riding a bike with her changed his perspective on the world. Without her though, he feels at a lost and compares the situation to the Schrödinger’s Cat theory. At home before bed, Ringo grabs (what we now know as) Momoka’s diary and believes that in following its writings, everything previous will become eternal.
Just what Note is that? A Deth Note? Meth Note? Teeth Note?
After a chat with Ringo’s mom, Shouma heads home for some Seizon Senryaku business. Boushi-sama advises him to let Ringo go ahead with her first night plan. Kanba reflects on what happened earlier as the two girls also show signs of memory loss. Penguin #1 continues to enjoy his Saturday porn mag.
Ringo pulls the classic “pretend like I’m sleeping in my bed” trick and hops on a train toward Tabuki’s house where the First Night is finally going to happen. She and Tabuki cook dinner together, they wash themselves and brush their teeth together. It’s all lovey-dovey… except she is under his apartment with a nice portable stove and a bucket of water to go along with him. And she has an outline of his body with a picture of his face directly above her as she sleeps.
To close the episode, Masako is talking on the phone with somebody, mentioning that “Project M” has been put in motion. A scroll down reveals a new penguin, who we’ve seen along with the other 3 in the OP previously.
Weekly Marching of the Penguins:
The first episode I haven’t seen the daily slogan displayed in a different scene. Maybe at some other time.
#2 is living the life, as far as I’m concerned
I’m looking at it now Kanba! Your turn later!
This episode goes a long way toward explaining the origins of Ringo’s diary and why she is so intent on following this “Destiny” plan. While we still don’t know what weight the diary holds in relating to the search for the Penguin Drum, we at least know that the diary was inherited from her sister. It adds a new dimension to her character and some might feel sympathetic for, though I honestly still find her to be a creeper as it was taken to new heights with her making an “apartment under the apartment”. Ringo’s fever during the moving scenes was rather unusal for me, and there’s been mention in the past about the possible pairing of Ringo and Shouma. In ep. 4 she got a kiss from her “prince” (Shouma) and now she is feeling Shouma’s breath as he was half-sleeping. Did “fate” try to control her in that moment or what?
Project M is in motion, or so two different people are claiming that things are going as planned. Ringo’s definition of Project M seems easy in considering it to be Momoka since she wants to become her sister. I don’t know what to think of Masako’s meaning at the moment. A slight off-point, I’m reminded of the bulletin on the train during episode 4 highlighting the play Tragedy of M. Looking back on it, the person that Yuri is with looks a lot like Masako with the same hair and eye color (no idea as to the other two people in the upper-right profile shots). I’ve tried to figure out what exactly Yuri’s role meant in the anime, but I’m now of the belief she could be involved with Masako and her plan. Considering how next week’s preview image looks a lot like the staircases from those Play sequences and how #3 looks similar to Yuri with the blonde wig, I think we’ll see her in the next episode perhaps throwing the first speed bump in Ringo’s way for her Project M.
The bulletin on the train for Tragedy of M
I really liked the overall production of this episode. I loved the shots early on in the park with Kanba and Masako; the use of wide shots added that sense of distance between Kanba, the exes and Masako and the animation effect used to show what the pellet did was pretty rad and crazy. The OST just continues on impressing me as the track that played during Ringo’s First Night gave off that feeling of some huge achievement for Ringo; I also never tire of that sort of, for lack of a better term in my head, ominous tune that plays like when Ringo was peeking outside her door at mom and dad.
The mentioning of Schrödinger’s Cat is an interesting concept to consider for Penguindrum. I was watching the RAW thinking, “this is a really pivotal scene once I see it subbed.” To sum up the wikipedia article, it brings up the idea of superposition and ponders whether things are living or dead to the point where the cat in the box is, in a strange sense, both at the same time. The use of the cats walking in the scene and moments where one cat was alone was very intriguing, yet puzzling for me to be honest; I feel like there’s some deep meaning behind all of that. I don’t think the quantum mechanics aspect of these theories will factor into the overarching plot; let’s just stick with the idea of being alive and/or dead. This theory seems most applicable to Himari’s situation right now. By all accounts, she is dead, but the penguin hat keeps her living on. We know that Momoka is dead. The whereabouts of the Takakura parents are unknown; do they fit within this theory? I’m unsure as to make a lot of hay out of that; so as I’ve learned with past episodes… make a lot of hay out of it! There’s so much more to Boushi-sama that I desire to know and also who Masako is working for; perhaps those reveals will provide more answers. Tabling this subject for later on.
One thing I’ve always wondered about in the OP was the number 95. Curry day is on the 20th, but as we learned here, March 20th is Ringo’s birthday and also the death of Momoka. There has been a lot of speculation about the ties between those facts from the series and the 1995 Sarin Gas attacks on the Tokyo Subway, taking place on March 20th, 1995. I presume that Ringo is 16 years old being a high school student, so that’s a really interesting tie Ikuhara has made to it; we’ve yet to unearth exactly what this means to Penguindrum.
Episode 7 Preview:
About Jrow
Produces the MetaVerse podcast. Also plays games and watches sports of all sorts. Is an actual Pirate King.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 209 comments
Just when things can’t get over-the-top, Ringo starts sleeping under Tabuki’s house and her dream which for some reason has a eel in it.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
The show hasn’t failed to one-up itself on anything each episode, that’s for certain. Just all of a sudden a “gangster of the sea” comes in and wrecks the table. Just so bizarre.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Finally some clarification on that diary! It is beyond creepy that she’s living out her sister’s life…Although with that starting message telling her to do it so everything could be “eternal” I guess the crazy gene was passed on to both of them <_< What is Momoka trying to do here? Also, interesting how Shouma is becoming the replacement prince. Uwaa, didn't know about that 1995 gas attack. That's quite the interesting little tie-in with reality if it's true! Got to love all the care that goes into this show~
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
It is interesting how Momoka’s fascination with Tabuki actually wasn’t so one sided. We’ve been critical in the past of how Ringo spins things in her favor; maybe Momoka could’ve actually fulfilled Destiny while Ringo is merely trying to just follow along with the writings.
Yeah, we’ll see if or when something comes of it. Sounds very fatal and could make for some tragedy in Penguindrum.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Making theories for Penguindrum is so easy because well, everything is relative and possibilities are rampant. From what I understand from the concept of Schrödinger’s Cat added to this is the paradox of possibilities and world lines. The cat is the symbolism that every time someone has to make a choice, the universe splits into two parts, in one the cat is alive while in the other it’s dead. If you look at Himari’s situation maybe the hat simply transcends world time lines and replaces A with B, just because it’s powerful so even if in universe A, Himari died, she has been replaced with a Himari copy from another world line. Follow the hat’s orders and you get to see Himari alive, if you don’t, well she drops dead. Though again, it’s all relative and nothing much can be said until we find the identity of Penguindrum.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
World time lines… um, Overcooled is doing the Steins;Gates blogs. Bring that talk to her posts! =P
But for real, it’s really tough to tell if Himari is savable by her brothers. In S;G, timelines can change (as we’ve seen most recently with the conclusion of episode 20), but with Penguindrum’s primary theme being fate, I don’t know if or what the brothers can do to change that; it’s either one way or the other. It makes me more doubtful about Himari being able to go back to the life she lived before all of this.
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~Well I know I certainly don’t feel any sympathy for Ringo. I honestly can’t put my strong detest for her into words that doesn’t make me sound like a crazy Shouma fangirl…Yet, even though it pains me to say this, I can see how maybe fate is trying to get her to follow her own fate instead of carrying on her sister’s (which seems to fail for her quite often).
Anywayssss, I absolutely love reading your posts on Penguindrum, Jrow. I always find something I hadn’t noticed or thought of before that’ll have me wanting to re-watch the episode again just to catch it.
SO MANY THEORIES AND QUESTIONS AND MYSTERIES…every time I even think of this show I get this chaotic feeling. I wish they’d show two episodes instead of one so I can get more answers.
Btw if you haven’t listened to this remix, you should~
POWUH: 400-499 with 406 comments
That remix is amazing! I’m listening to it now and I can’t get enough.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’m trying to rip this…. So good. ><
Update: Here you go, girls. Not the best quality but at least you can add this to your iPods. :3
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~OMG KYOKAI THANK YOU SO MUCH<3<3
I've been trying to get it on my ipod for so long *A*
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
That moment when she was basically humping Sho, I feel like her fate kicked in at that moment. But, the question is… will she realize it in time? I’m a little concerned about her in that sense and I think she’s become to thick-headed to realize it.
Thanks so much, Hoshi! Makes blogging this show all the more enjoyable! 🙂
A double feature of Penguindrum for a week would be nice; it’s proven at this early stage that it can still answer and create questions with consistency. Though, I was thinking about the best way to watch this show, recently. Marathoning it would be a bad idea; it would suck a lot of the intrigue out of it since you’d have all your answers within 24 hours or w/e timespan you watch in.
Thanks for the recommendation (and Kyo for the DL link). ^^
POWUH: 400-499 with 406 comments
The moray eel just made me laugh.
Man I feel annoyed every time Ringo appears. She bothers me so much. I was just glad that in this episode, she was given more depth of character. I agree, she got even creepier in this episode.
Penguindrum for me is the show that makes me think the most this season.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
“I’m a Moray Eel!” haha, just so random in that moment. Though, in the ending pictures, we see Kappie & Ottie at the table and the eel in the second set of pics.
She is a creep, though I’m only annoyed when she rags on Shouma. Sho’s cool, that’s gonna be your guy right there, be nicer to him!
It makes me think bunches, too. On the surface, it’s just a fun show of seeing the pengis be funny and seeing if Kanba and Shouma can save Himari, but underneath that, there’s just so much more to think about.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 79 comments
There’s plenty to talk about with this episode, but the thing that’s been nagging at me the most is what Project M is since both Ringo and Masako seem to have one in mind. My theory is that Momoka was revived much like Himari, and is either working with Masako or is Masako herself. It’s a bit of a longshot, but we know that resurrection is possible and it would explain why two unrelated characters talk about a Project M.
Aaaaand Ringo continues to lose her goddamn mind. It’s certainly interesting, kind of funny and really disturbing to get a good look into her head and what makes the diary tick. Her home life may be even more important than I thought…
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
I do feel like, what will come of it, Project M on both accounts will lead toward the same thing; it could be a race of who accomplishes it first. I like that theory though.
Her home life was a nice inside look at her character; makes me hate the mom for how she put so much focus on Momoka’s death.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Whoa! Finally the return of Penguins! Oh how I missed you, anyway seems like things are moving right along for this series and once again Ringo steals the show. I did laugh the whole time when she was preparing to sleep under the house..LOL so creepy but funny.
Project M! Wow very cool I was thinking memories? or mawaru? But Momoka works and finally the reveal of the true owner of the diary very nice guess that will be the drama of Ringo’s character for a bit.
And last LOL@ the penguins this week! Eating mayo and reading magazines ahahah so funny.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
Yeah, had a nice week off, felt a bit empty, so it’s fun to return to penguins doing things funnily! LOL
Memories, I’d cross that off. Mawaru such a possibility. Ya know, I’ve been talking about how Ringo spins the days events when the word Mawaru translates to spin. The only thing I can thing of that spins is the globe from the Doctor’s office.
LOL, I love that scene when the girls get shot and you hear a piece of paper rip. The nervousness #1 showed was just hilarious!
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ and Vocaloid Fangirl with 363 comments
Yaaaaay it felt so weird without having a little penguin-dose last week :\
This episode has finally given us new insights on what significance the diary holds. Maybe now I feel a teensy bit of sympathy for Ringo.. but still she is getting creepier and creepier with each episode.
THE PENGUINS WERE SO CUTE THIS WEEK/EVERY OTHER WEEK. The new penguin looks cute too. …I think I’m developing a penguin fetish.
POWUH: 1000-1099 and Pirate King with 1048 comments
The progression of the episode for Ringo was kind of like, “here’s why she’s the way she is”, but then her abilities as a creep heighten even further.
Penguins are cute, aren’t they? The new penguin’s face is in the shape of a heart. 🙂
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
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